The deep red-purple foliage of Disanthus cercidifolius can be seen from every angle in the Woodland Garden right now. It suffered slightly during our summer drought but looked spectacular today. Disanthus cercidifolius has heart-shaped bluish-green leaves during the summer which are subtly attractive in the garden. It should mature to about 6-10 feet in height over time. I have under-planted it Helleborus foetidus, the stinking hellebore. The deeply-cut dark green foliage compliments the round leaves of Disanthus cercidifolius nicely. Disanthus cercidifolius has done well for me in dappled shade planted in humus-rich, moist soil.
Lindera glauca var. angustifolia was not looking too shabby today either.
Hello Michael, the Disanthus looks lovely. Looking online it says that it prefers lime free soil. Do you know if it will tolerate neutral soil or will it be miserable?
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Sam
Hi Sam, I definitely have an acid, loamy soil where the Disanthus is planted. My experience is that moisture is an important factor. My plant pouted during our drought this summer. My guess is that if you amended the soil with compost and planted it in a protected site with plenty of moisture it would be worth trying. My plant is in filtered shade an is quite happy. I hope that helps. I'm curious, where do you garden and what are the conditions like?
ReplyDeleteHello Michael, I am very happy that I have come across your site :) What exactly does your filtered shade mean? I am starting to garden on a woodland "edge" approx. 100 m (330 feet) from the edge towards the middle. There are mostly oaks, birches and sweet chestnuts growing there but also wild cherries, lindens and hazels. I am really interested in plants that will do well in shade, part shade, dappled shade - though I am never quite sure what exactly the conditions described on line or in a book etc. are or what those in my woodland garden to be are. I love the Dishantus, it looks just great. I garden in Slovenia which would be in zone 7 (not entirely sure).
ReplyDeleteHi Liam and Izak,
DeleteI am glad you found my blog. I am Zone 5 which is quite a bit colder than your Zone 7 but I think Disanthus should do well for you. You are fortunate to have oaks because they are an excellet tree to underplant with understory trees and shrubs. I think Disanthus prefers to stay out of full sun and be happy in dappled (part) shade. I agree, the terminology is confusing. I think it should not be in full sun in the middle of the day. Michael Dirr (do you have his book Manual of Woody Landscape Plants? an excellent resource) planted a Disanthus on the north side of his house in Atalanta (Zone 7b) so that might indicate more shade than sun for you in Slovenia. As I mentioned, moisture seems to be an important factor (Dirr mentioned his shady location was moist). I hope that helps. I'd love to hear more about your garden. Do you have a blog? All the best,
Michael
Your Disanthus cercidifolius is beautiful! I have put it on my wish list. Too bad I have no empty space in my garden at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDenise, When you find the right spot I think it will be a great addition to your shade garden!
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